


Take On Me (Take Me On)

by HeartIconography



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-12-20 13:06:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11921526
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HeartIconography/pseuds/HeartIconography
Summary: Supercorp AU: When L-Corp buys out the failing Daily Planet, where one Kara Danvers work, will the hostile takeover turn into something much less... hostile?





	1. Chapter 1

_Was she more intimidating, or attractive?_  Kara Danvers wondered, staring at the woman outside the Daily Planet. It was hard to separate one facet from the other. She definitely had a face that would be termed “classically beautiful” –  _and those blue eyes!_  But everything from the smart blazer and skirt she wore, to the dark hair pulled back tightly (not a strand out of place), and the rigidity of her shoulders seemed to scream _professional._  She watched as the woman reached out a hand and placed it on the man’s arm that was standing in front of her, talking lowly to him, as if imploring. The man seemed to brush her off, turning to stride confidently inside, when Kara’s gaze and the woman’s locked. She froze. It wasn’t until the woman was in her car, already driving away, that Kara hurried and went into the office.

  
She had been employed at the Daily Planet for three years now, having started as an intern and worked her way up; meaning, she had been “officially” writing for the paper for two. It was a small group of staff – ten in all – and they had grown close over that time. Kara had heard the rumors about the Daily Planet. They were hard to avoid. “The company is going under,” Roger once told her, as he worked on the sports section – something she had no interest in. “We’re hemorrhaging money. I’ll be surprised if we last another year.” Kara winced at the memory.  
  
Was that why these sleek, shiny people were showing up now with their suits and briefcases? Was she going to be out a job by the end of the day? Kara tried to imagine it, but kept seeing herself shoving staplers and various other office supplies into her purse – even though she would never steal, and also did not bring her purse today. A migraine begin to form, throbbing insistently behind her temples. When she walked in, all of the staff were grouped together whispering.  
  
“Hey,” she said, walking over to them, voice low. “What’s going on?”  
  
“We’ve been sold,” Mary told her.  
  
“And bought. The guy in Jack’s office is from L-Corp,” Roger further explained. “Chances are, at best, we’re in for a full restructuring.”  
  
“At worst?” Kara asked.  
  
“I’ll see you in the unemployment line,” Roger deadpanned, turning back to his computer, conversation apparently over.  
  
“I guess we shouldn’t give them a reason to fire us,” Mary added, heading back to her desk and plopping down.  
  
Kara rolled her shoulders, trying to rid the tension. She sat down at her cubicle and powered the computer on, praying for a miracle. She liked it here – more importantly, she blended here, which was rare. It seemed like hours before Jack and the man in the suit emerged from his office. Jack looked angry enough to spit nails, but left without a word, looking at them all as if trying to convey a message. The man in the suit finally spoke.  
  
“I’m Mr. Luthor from L-Corp,” the man in the suit introduced himself. “As you may already be aware, we have purchased this company and fully intend on ensuring it becomes profitable again. Mr. Richter – or Jack, as you call him – has been let go. And some of you  _may_ be let go in the process of reviving the Daily Planet, as well. New management will be in place tomorrow, so please, I’d like you all to bring your best. For now, you may go.”  
  
Dazed, Kara grabbed her coat of the back of her chair and stood. A few brave employees had questions for Mr. Luthor, including Mary, who wanted to know if they would be getting paid for the full day. He assured her that they would be, and Mary smiled uncertainly, grabbing her over-sized purse and heading for the door.  
  
“He doesn’t seem so bad,” Mary commented in the hallway, once they were out of earshot.  
  
“That’s because you’re getting paid for doing nothing,” Roger replied. “Enjoy it. You might not have anything to come back to in a few days.”  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mary bristled. “Are you saying that because I run the Home & Style section of the newspaper?”  
  
“Not to forget the Astrology,” Roger joked. “Do they strike you as the type of people who are going to give a shit about Home & Style? If I were you, I would think up some ideas tonight for a more serious article. Like the stuff you used to do before you took over for Candice.”  
  
“What do you think?” the middle aged woman asked Kara, brown eyes wide and worried.  
  
“It probably wouldn’t hurt,” Kara said, trying to be diplomatic. “We don’t know what they’re going to do yet. But if they  _do_ cut your section, at least you’ll have an idea right off the bat. That would probably impress them.”  
  
“Exactly,” Roger said. “I didn’t mean it to sound harsh. Everyone here knows you’re an amazing writer.”  
  
“Truly one of the greats,” Kara added.  
  
“Maybe it’s not a bad idea,” Mary admitted. “Sorry. It’s been a weird day.”  
  
“The weirdest,” Kara agreed.  
  
Usually after work, they would go out for a drink or two, but they weren’t used to being let out at ten in the morning. After saying their goodbyes awkwardly, Kara sat in her car, forehead pressed against the steering wheel. Kara thought of Mr. Luthor, and the woman he had been with, now with distaste in her mouth.  _So that’s how it’s going to be,_  she thought.  _Us against them._ It was already starting.  
  
She couldn’t help but worry about what tomorrow might bring. Her pieces were fairly popular, but who knows what direction L-Corp was going to take the Daily Planet in. She felt her heart sink at the place she had considered a second home changing. She didn’t want to start over. She wanted to stay where she was, at the paper she loved, and she would be damned if anything changed that. Still, Kara made a mental note to skim the ads for jobs tonight, _just in case._  
  
“You can’t be too careful,” she muttered to herself.


	2. Chapter 2

It was only nine o'clock in the morning by the time Lena heard them calling her  _Ice Queen._  She rubbed her temples with her carefully manicured fingers and prayed for patience.  _At least I’m royalty,_ she thought dryly. The truth was, she loved the Daily Planet. It had a voice – it’d just been poorly managed. That was something L-Corp could fix, if the staff would get on board. Jack Richter had been the infected limb in need of amputation. He was gone now. The rest of the body could – and  _should_ – flourish. However, she was starting to get the feeling the staff was going to be less than cooperative when it came to change.

Lena’s first order of business was sitting down one on one with each member of the staff. She had spent last night digging through their old articles, trying to find what worked and what didn’t, so she wouldn’t go into the conversation empty-handed. Part of her had wished her brother had let her speak to them yesterday. He had a habit of being too brusque and coming off rude. Sometimes Lex forgot that he was dealing with people’s livelihoods. However, their affectionate nickname for Lena made her think maybe she wasn’t much better off.  
  
“Hello?” a soft voice asked, cracking open the door. “You wanted to see me.”  
  
“Ah, yes,” Lena said.  
  
“I’m Kara Danvers,” the young girl introduced herself, sticking her hand out across the desk to shake her own.  
  
“Lena Luthor,” she said back.  
  
Kara sat down across from her, smiling nervously. As the girl adjusted her glasses, Lena looked down at her notes. Kara Danvers was one of the better writers at the Daily Planet. Lena had every intention of doing whatever she could to keep her employed at the paper. Her articles edged on poetic, but were always fully researched and interesting, which was surprising given the small amount of time she had been employed as a journalist.   
  
“Okay, Kara,” she began. “I spent last night reading a lot of your work –”  
  
“I know I haven’t been here as long as most of the other workers,” she interrupted Lena. “And I guess it would be fair to say I’m still, maybe, trying to find what works for me – article wise. That’s why none of my articles are really, uh, focused in one area.”  
  
“Yes, I noticed you were rather diverse,” Lena settled on saying. “I just want you to know that while L-Corp does intend to make a lot of changes to the Daily Planet, we don’t intend to stop what’s been working for it. And you, among with a handful of other writers, are what has actually carried this paper as far as it’s gotten.”  
  
“Oh,” Kara said, the one syllable completely suffused with relief.  
  
“The readers are attached to you,” Lena said, hiding her amusement. “It’s easy to see why. What I want to work on with you is finding you a more permanent place within the paper. Something both diverse in content, but more… reliable.”  
  
“Reliable?”  
  
“Yes,” Lena smiled. “Almost like your own column. That sort of thing. I was thinking your strengths would be best used for opinion pieces. You always do your due-diligence, but you process things in an original way. I found myself wanting to know your opinion in pieces where it wasn’t exactly appropriate for you to divulge it.”  
  
“Thank you,” Kara said, smiling.  
  
Lena thought the girl lit up like the sun at her compliments – which had honestly been nothing but frank facts. Anyone else with half a brain could’ve drawn the same conclusions. Still, it was beautiful see, especially during a morning where so many people had furrowed their brows and frowned at her.  
  
“There’s absolutely nothing to thank me for. You’ve more than earned your place here, and what I’m saying is a direct correlation to all the hard work you’ve put in. I’d be crazy not to want to feature you properly,” Lena assured. “Now, between you and I, is there anyone else you think isn’t properly being recognized?”  
  
“Roger,” Kara said without a pause. “And Mary.”  
  
“Mary?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “I don’t know how far back you’ve read, but she did a lot of hard hitting pieces. She took over the Home & Style section because it was technically a raise, but her talents are mostly being wasted there. If you talk to her later, I know she has a few ideas about stories that are fantastic.”  
  
“Alright,” Lena said with a nod, making a note. “And Roger? He’s the sports writer?”  
  
“Yes,” Kara agreed. “But his pieces are more than that. I’m sure you noticed. Also, despite my complete lack of athletic competence, sports are popular. We could do more with that, and Roger would be your guy.”  
  
Lena had made the same deduction about Roger. His pieces were idyllic scenes of community and comradery. The classic struggle between home teams that brought people out of their houses and into baseball stadiums. However, she had seemed to miss Mary altogether, having sifted through a year’s worth of articles about design that had bored her.  
  
“You’re quite astute,” Lena commented. “And I’m glad you brought Mary to my attention because the Home & Style section is very likely going to be cut for the Daily Planet. If she’s as great as you say she is, I would love to place her elsewhere instead of having to let her go.”  
  
“She  _is_ great,” Kara promised. “Check out her piece about racial tensions here in Los Angeles. Her perspective, especially as an African American woman, was so sharp and she wrote with so much knowledge and passion.”  
  
“And you aren’t just saying this because you’re friends?” Lena said, focusing her shrewd gaze on her.  
  
“We are friends,” Kara admitted. “I’m friends with almost everyone here. But, at the end of the day, I care about the Daily Planet. Even though I’m about as fond as change as the next person, I want the paper to do well. And I think Mary – and Roger – are both going to play a huge role in making that happen.”  
  
“Alright,” Lena nodded. “Thank you for your honesty. I appreciate your openness to this whole… process.”

“You got it, boss,” Kara said, somewhat ironically.    
  
“I’m looking forward to working with you.”  
  
Kara smiled again, the bright one, and left Lena’s heart a bit lighter than when she had entered the office. For the first time this morning, she thought to herself,  _You know, this could really work._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check my blog to submit prompts, etc: www.hearticonography.tumblr.com


	3. Chapter 3

Kara could already tell which people were  _definitely_ going to be fired – it was a knowledge that weighed heavy on her. In the bar that night, she watched a few of them commiserating with one another. There was a liberal use of the word  _bitch_ , which she really didn’t find accurate or fair – but she let them keep their petty grudge. It wasn’t as if she had wanted the Daily Planet to change either. But she’d rather have a changed paper than no paper; especially if it could be made better, which Lena Luthor seemed to think it could.

She found the dark-haired woman… sincere. Surprisingly so. Still, Lena seemed unfettered with the impulse to sugar-coat or people please, which was rubbing some of the staff the wrong way. But if Kara was honest with herself, and she tried to be, a good percentage of the staff had been skating by on Jack’s indifference. She had hoped this would be a wake up call, but from the amount of alcohol consumption, she couldn’t see tomorrow going very well.  
  
After Roger had left, Kara continued to sit at the bar, nursing a beer she had lost interest in about half way through. She swung her legs back and forth on the stool, enjoying the act of it. It took her a minute to notice the man sitting next to her. It was as though he materialized out of the shadows.  
  
“Hey,” the man said.  
  
He looked about her age, maybe a bit older. Clean-cut in a way that was desperate to be dangerous. He seemed… carefully manufactured. Instinctively, she didn’t trust him. His eyes seemed calculated. Kara shifted a bit away from him, but smiled, not wanting to be rude.  
  
“Hello,” she said, turning her attention back on her beer.  
  
“I’m Chris,” he introduced. “You work for the Daily Planet, right?”  
  
“Uh, yeah,” Kara said, blinking.  
  
“Easy to deduce. I mean, with the group of you and the office just around the block.”  
  
“Right,” she laughed. “Guilty as charged.”  
  
“So, it kind of cuts out the whole asking if you come here often.”  
  
“I’m fine with that.”  
  
“Do you have a boyfriend?” Chris asked, leaning into her space slightly.  
  
“I mean, uh, no,” she shook her head slightly.  
  
It would’ve been easier to lie. To smile and say,  _Yes, I do have a boyfriend! He’s actually on his way over._  It raised her hackles though – men respecting the claim of other men more than a woman’s right to say no. And unless she fully curled up into the fetal position, her body language couldn’t scream  _ **NO**_ any more clearly than it already was.  
  
“You should let me buy you another beer then,” he said smiling.  
  
“One’s my limit. I have to drive home soon. Early morning.”  
  
“I’ll make sure you get home okay,” he cajoled. “Come on.”  
  
“Really, no thank you.”  
  
“Seriously? Live a little. You look like you know how to have fun every once in a while.”  
  
Suddenly his hand was on her thigh, just above the knee. Kara was so angry she froze, unable to think – unable to even to shove him away. She felt her heartbeat thundering in her chest, like a wild horse stomping its hooves into hard dirt – kicking up dust.  
  
“I’d suggest removing your hand,” Lena Luthor’s voice cut through the tension. “My friend here doesn’t seem impressed, or interested, in the least.”  
  
Chris snatched his hand back and turned to look at Lena, who stood at Kara’s other shoulder, impeccably dressed and unruffled by the situation. Kara smiled gratefully at her, but Lena only flagged down the bartender to order a martini.  _Of course it’s a martini,_  Kara thought.  
  
“If she’s not interested, she can tell me herself. She’s a big girl, aren’t you?”  
  
“I’m not interested,” Kara said. “That’s why I said no to your offer.  _Twice_. In a row.”  
  
“That’s all part of the game, though,” Chris argued. “You know, so you don’t seem… easy.”  
  
“Oh my God!” Kara huffed out in disbelief. “I was trying not to be rude and tell you that you made my skin crawl from the moment you sat down!”  
  
“I’d get out of here. She’s a force to reckon with when you make her angry,” Lena warned.  
  
“Fucking lesbians,” he muttered.  
  
“Whatever you need to tell yourself to justify why your lackluster personality turns women off,” Lena shot back witheringly.  
  
Chris made fast work of exiting the bar, head down, and disappearing into the night. Lena sat down on the unoccupied stool and stirred the olives in her martini absently in a practiced, graceful motion. The quiet wrapped itself around the pair until Kara finally willed herself to speak.  
  
“Thank you for that,” she told Lena. “I just kept saying,  _No thank you_  but he took it as  _Please, try harder._ I knew as soon as he asked me if I had a boyfriend he would be trouble.”  
  
“And of course you weren’t going to say you did.”  
  
“I shouldn’t have to!” Kara exclaimed, gesturing wildly with her hands.  
  
“I wasn’t advocating for it.”  
  
“I know you weren’t,” she said, deflating. “It just… pisses me off.”  
  
“Next time threaten to cut his hand off and give it back to him. That usually works,” Lena smiled in a way that revealed she wasn’t fully joking, her blue eyes sparkling.  
  
“I’ll keep that in mind. I was going to do something. Probably throw my drink in his face.”  
  
“Classic,” Lena approved. “If not a bit wasteful.”    
  
“The beer is warm now,” Kara defended.  
  
“Oh, then that’s completely admissible.”  
  
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” Kara began, “but what are you even doing here?”  
  
“Trying to neutralize the Ice Queen image the staff has begun to associate with me. This isn’t the first dive bar I’ve frequented with the same goal in mind. It usually works after a couple truly unremarkable martinis.”  
  
“You think this is a  _dive bar_?” Kara couldn’t help laughing.  
  
“It has potential…” Lena trailed off, running her finger along the top of the bar, rubbing the dust between her thumb and forefinger.  
  
The pair fell into a comfortable silence, nursing their drinks, and staring straight ahead. Kara should’ve left a half-hour ago, but here she was. Still. From her stool, she could smell Lena’s perfume – or maybe it was just her; the sharp, clear scent of snow on the wind seemed to stick to her clothing. Kara could remember the smell from a skiing trip she had taken in college where she had almost broken her leg. The memory was still a good one though.  
  
“Do you ever finish one of those things?” Lena asked, inclining her head towards the large mug that was between Kara’s hands.  
  
“My track record isn’t very good.”  
  
“I couldn’t imagine where it would all go,” she said, eyeing Kara.  
  
“You’re lucky you didn’t say something like that to Roger,” she responded, trying not to blush under the scrutiny. “He’s defensive about how much he can drink.”  
  
“Male pride,” Lena laughed.  
  
“I can hold my alcohol though,” Kara said. “You know, just don’t want to get drunk on a work night, boss.”  
  
“That’s what I like to hear,” Lena deadpanned.  
  
“It will get better around the office, though. People will realize you’re just trying to help them keep their jobs. Honestly, like half the staff has been at the Daily Planet before Jack even worked as a journalist. They didn’t like him at first either. And Jack was like… a fun uncle.”  
  
“A fun uncle?” Lena question, brows raised.  
  
“You know – no bedtime, minimal rules, lots of candy.”  
  
“Right. That explains the finances.”  
  
Kara shrugged. She didn’t want to speak too ill of Jack. After all, he had been the one to take a chance on her. He was a good guy, and had still been young enough to want to inject some new blood into the Daily Planet. Still, there was no denying he didn’t have the mind to run the place, and deep down everyone knew it. However, Jack always approved overtime– or time off – depending on what you wanted, and because of that, the staff was still fiercely loyal to him.  
  
“You’ll figure it out,” Kara said, grinning brightly. “Anyway, I have to go home now, or I will definitely be late tomorrow.”  
  
“Right. We wouldn’t want that,” Lena said. Then she turned, looking directly into Kara’s eyes, smiled softly and said, “Get home safe, alright?”  
  
Kara agreed she would, but the whole walk home, all she could think about was Lena Luthor’s smile. The red of her lips. Her perfect, white teeth. The way her blue eyes gleamed like diamonds – both warm and cold, depending on her mood or the slant of light. Kara had a feeling her heart had been a lot safer before the other woman had swept into her life, but then again, she supposed that wasn’t really what Lena had meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check my blog to submit prompts, etc: www.hearticonography.tumblr.com


	4. Chapter 4

Lena hadn’t expected anyone to stay late, and largely, she wasn’t surprised when almost no one did. The majority of the staff had shown up astoundingly hungover. To be honest, Lena was more surprised that most of them had not only finished their shifts, but actually handed in their completed articles by the end of the day. And 90% of them didn’t read like crap.  _This could work,_  she thought, smiling at her empty office.  
  
When it turned eight o'clock, she came out from behind her shut door, and noticed that only one person was left. The sun-kissed strands of Kara Danvers hair caught the fluorescent lights in a way that was impossible to miss. Roger must have left. Since six, it had only been the three of them and they had worked in silence, heads down, concentrating. Lena’s stomach growled.  
  
“Kara?” she asked, coming up by her desk and leaning against the edge. “Are you still burning the midnight oil?”  
  
“I wouldn’t call  _this_ the midnight oil, but if you’re staying, I’d like to keep polishing the piece a bit.”  
  
“I haven’t come to kick you out. I’ll be here for a while yet. I want to brainstorm some layout changes that I’ll be able to implement tomorrow.”  
  
“Great,” Kara said, smiling up at her. “I don’t usually take this long with a piece.”  
  
“Just trying to impress the boss?” Lena teased.  
  
“No!” Kara blushed. “I mean, obviously it’s important that you like it. I’m just not that used to opinion pieces and want to make sure it’s perfect. Or if not perfect, than at least balanced and fair.”  
  
“Are you hungry?” Lena asked, feeling her stomach rumble softly again. “I worked through lunch and now I’m starving.”  
  
“Food would be great, now that you mention it. Let me just get my wallet –”  
  
“Don’t be silly. This will be on L-Corp,” Lena waved off, though she was intending to pay out of her own pocket – she didn’t want the girl to feel uncomfortable or like she owed her anything. “What I do need from you though is a restaurant recommendation.”  
  
“What do you like?”  
  
“I’m not fussy,” Lena said.  
  
“Do you like Chinese food?”  
  
“Love it. Is there a good place around here?”  
  
“Yeah,” Kara said as she reached into her desk and pulled out an old, battered menu. “The Grand Lotus. I go there like, three times a week. Their potstickers are to die for.”  
  
“Then we’ll have to get lots of those. May I?” Lena asked, inclining her head towards the menu.  
  
“Right,” Kara said, their fingers brushing as she passed it over to her.  
  
The quiet settled as she perused the menu. Everything sounded good – which was exactly why she shouldn’t skip lunch – and she picked out a few dishes she wanted to try, hoping Kara wouldn’t be repulsed at the amount of food she was ordering. After all, they were splitting, right?  
  
“I hope you like to eat, because I’m getting more than I should.”  
  
“I love it,” Kara laughed. “Honestly, I can pack it away. You’ll be surprised. Everyone always is.”  
  
“So I’m thinking two orders of potstickers, since they are to die for. Chicken Chow Mein. Mushroom fried rice – do you like mushrooms?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Alright, perfect. Egg rolls, obviously –”  
  
“Goes without saying.”  
  
“Spicy Singapore Noodles. And I have to try their Egg Drop soup. Am I missing anything else that is a must?”  
  
“I would add on some of their Spring Rolls. It seems like they wouldn’t be too different from the Egg Rolls, but they are.”  
  
“Great. I’ll place the order. I expect you to do your best to eat at least half of this,” Lena laughed.  
  
“You’ll be both shocked and impressed,” Kara grinned, reaching back into her desk for her wallet and pulling out some crumpled dollar bills. “Since the food is taken care of, why don’t you let me grab us some Diet Coke or something from the machine? I mean, who are we trying to kid at this point?”  
  
“Fair point,” Lena shrugged easily. “Thank you, Kara. Diet Coke would be nice. I’m just going to go use the phone in my office and get my wallet.”  
  
While in her office, Lena wiped her damp palms on her skirt. She wasn’t sure why she felt nervous, except that was a lie. She just didn’t want to admit it. Of course Kara was  _cute_. No one would disagree with her. And, sure, she brought out all of Lena’s protective instincts. And maybe Lena had thought about kissing the girl – once or twice, that’s all. But Kara was an employee. And Kara might be straight. Still, it was too close to a date for comfort.  
  
After ordering the food, she stayed in her office for a moment, trying to collect her thoughts. Lena thought, for a second, that it was so quiet she could hear the scratch of Kara’s pen. When she got up the nerve to join Kara again, she realized it wasn’t a pen she’d heard at all, but the dragging of two desks together and a chair placed on the opposite side. Kara was clearing off the belongings to make room for their food when it arrived. As well, she noticed the four cans of Diet Coke set up, two on each side.  
  
“Don’t worry,” Kara smiled. “Roger and I do this all the time. I’ve been here long enough to know what goes on whose desk. Oh! Unless you were going to eat in your office…?”  
  
“Of course not,” Lena assured her, taking the seat she knew was not Kara’s. “We’d have a hard time splitting everything, wouldn’t we?”  
  
“Right!” Kara glanced at the clock as she sat down. It was now 8:45. “They should be here soon. They’re usually pretty fast, no matter the amount of food. And trust me, I’ve tested that theory.”  
  
“How’s your article going?” Lena asked.  
  
“Oh, it’s going well. I’ll hand it off to you before I leave. Everything is finished, I just keep moving that last comma back and forth – you know how it is.”  
  
“Perfectionist?”  
  
“I guess,” Kara admitted.  
  
“It’s not a bad thing. It’s why you turn out such quality work consistently. Of course, raw talent helps, and you have that too. You’re kind of –” Lena cut herself off, trying not to blush at what she had almost just said.  
  
“I’m kind of what?” Kara asked.  
  
“Uh, you know, the whole package,” Lena said, looking down. “Journalism wise."   
  
"Thank you,” Kara said.  
  
A knock on the front of the office door broke the tension and Lena left to pay the man from The Grand Lotus. Kara followed, helping her carry the bags stuffed full of food. They began opening cartons, and setting them out – Lena was glad the break room had supplied them with paper plates and utensils. Lena felt her stomach growl audibly and laughed.  
  
“This smells divine,” she told Kara.  
  
“It’s my go to place.”  
  
By the time Lena looked up from arranging her food on her plate, Kara had already eaten half of the first order of potstickers. She smiled guiltily.  
  
“Told you. Shocked and impressed,” Kara shrugged.  
  
“Noted,” Lena laughed, eating a potsticker herself and moaning quietly. “That’s amazing.”  
  
“Best in town.”  
  
They ate in relative silence. Between bites, Kara would suggest other dishes to try next time or other restaurants. Lena mostly just listened. In the end, it was true: she was both shocked and impressed. Kara ate her half of the food – putting it somewhere inside her slim body (Lena couldn’t be sure where). The Diet Coke was cold and The Grand Lotus had come through swimmingly. Lena couldn’t remember the last time she had enjoyed a meal so thoroughly – or the company.  
  
“I’m stuffed,” Lena complained.  
  
“But happy?”  
  
“Very,” she admitted, smiling. “Did you enjoy it?”  
  
“I always do,” Kara said. “If you want, I’ll probably be another half hour and we can walk out together?”  
  
“That’s exactly what I was thinking. Do you need help with the desks?”  
  
“If you could just clear the garbage and plates, I can move everything back,” Kara smiled.  
  
The half hour passed quickly. Kara rapped on the open door to Lena’s office and handed her the finished article she had been working on. Lena skimmed it quickly, impressed already, and mentally set aside some time in the morning to read through it thoroughly.  
  
“You ready to go?” Kara asked.  
  
“Yes,” Lena responded, gathering her purse and jacket. “It’s going to be an early day tomorrow.”  
  
Lena walked Kara to her car. They stood awkwardly under the parking lot light, moths fluttering towards it although it were the sun. Kara turned to unlock her car, threw her stuff in the passenger seat and turned back to say goodnight. She stopped though, cocked her head to the side and then nodded a little to herself and settled her mouth on top of Lena’s.  
  
It was quick. Impulsive. But there was no mistaking the intention of the kiss, because Lena knew that Kara still tasted like potstickers – which meant Kara’s mouth was open, and Lena had sneaked her tongue inside of it, briefly. Tasting. Wanting, so fast and so sharp it seemed to cut her, making her gasp into Kara’s mouth who hummed, happily and pulled away.  
  
“I – uh, I’ve got to go,” Kara said softly, giving nothing away. “Thank you for tonight. I had fun.”  
  
“Yes,” Lena said, not sure what to say. “I will see you tomorrow.”  
  
Walking back towards her own car, Lena touched her shaking fingers to her lips. Had she imagined it? Had she wanted it so badly, her brain broke from reality?  _No_ , she thought as she ran her tongue over her bottom lip. Kara’s taste was still there: potstickers, and something else. Something hotter. Like desire. Or maybe that was hers. 


	5. Chapter 5

It was raining when Kara got home. After scrubbing her face clean of the make-up she had worn that day, she regarded her reflection in the mirror. _Why did I do that? Oh my god, she's my boss. Why did I do that?_ Kara had driven home in a happy daze until the reality of her actions set in.  
  
"I was dumpling drunk," she said to the mirror. "I can't be help responsible."  
  
Except, dumpling drunk was something that only got her out of trouble with Alex, when she had forgotten her purse in the cab or had given her sister's number to the cute bartender that one time. To everyone else, what she had just done was plain old stupid and there was no excuse for it.  
  
Lena had let her kiss her -- hadn't she? Kara tried to think back, but the whole thing was a jumble of soft lips and heat. Maybe she hadn't kissed her back at all. Maybe she had basically assaulted her with her mouth.  _Oh God_. Sure, she had watched Lena walk away out of the rear-view mirror, but she hadn't said anything. Not really.  
  
"Okay, calm down," Kara said to herself. "You're being ridiculous."  
  
Since day one, Lena had been assertive and unafraid. Kara remembered the way she had stepped in effortlessly when that guy had been hitting on her. Would she really let her kiss her if she wasn't interested? And if Kara managed to catch her off guard, would Lena really have let the issue pass by silently? She didn't think so. But it was that word -- the  _think_ \-- that bothered her.  
  
After changing into pajamas, she flopped backwards onto the couch and tried to silence her brain, which at the moment, was annoying her beyond all belief. After taking a few deep breaths, the sound of the rain against her windows began to relax her. She was almost beginning to drift off right there until the sound of knocking at her door roused her.  
  
Her sister had a habit of stopping by late -- and unannounced -- so Kara thought nothing of it. She didn't even straighten her hair, which she had tied in a bun that now felt unbelievably crooked from laying on it. But it wasn't her sister at the door. Rather, her boss Lena -- who she was just starting to get out of her head.  
  
"How did you..." Kara started, trailing off at the look on Lena's face.  
  
"Know where you live?" Lena supplied, striding in without invitation. "Employee records. Don't tell HR on me."  
  
"You're not the one who has to worry about HR," Kara laughed. "I kissed you!"  
  
"You did," Lena said, lips turning up at the corners. "You kissed me well."  
  
"I -- uhh -- thank you?"  
  
"While it's not exactly appropriate, we're both adults. There's no company policy about dating -- even if I am your boss. It's a bit of a loophole. As long as we kept it to ourselves..."  
  
"The kissing can continue?"  
  
"I'd really enjoy for it to."  
  
"Me too," Kara said, not bothering to hide the full strength of her smile.  
  
Lena closed the distance between them. The click, click, click of her high-heels on the hardwood floor seemed to sing a song all its own. Kara watched the dark haired woman slightly raise her mouth to her own, and then her eyes fluttered shut -- overwhelmed by sensation. It was clear now that she had caught Lena on unawares because... because...  _Wow_.  
  
One of her hands had traveled up Kara's neck, fingers now creeping into the back of her hair. Lena's tongue flicked and teased -- nothing like the men Kara had kissed in the past, all force and sweeping forward. While she was distracted, Lena's other hand crawled up the back of her shirt, touching warm skin with her own which was still cool from the rain, raising goosebumps all over Kara's body. When they broke apart, they were both breathing heavily, still touching one another. Kara's own hands were holding Lena in place by her hips, which were both somehow slim and round. She wondered what other contradictions her body held.   
  
She couldn't wait to find out.  
  
"I would like to take you out somewhere, but I think it would be smarter if you came to my house," Lena said. "It's about a half hour out of town, but I have a chef who can cook us dinner. You just have to pretend I made it, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, that sounds great," Kara smiled. "When were you thinking?"  
  
"Friday."  
  
"Yeah, that’s good. No work."  
  
"That was the plan. That way..." Lena's eyes darkened for a moment, before she leaned in and kissed her again -- faster, but with just as much heat. "That way we have time."  
  
"Yeah, of -- of course," Kara said, trying to clear her head from the fog that was Lena Luthor.  
  
"And I want to take my time," she responded, with a voice that sounded full of promise. "Anyway, goodnight, Kara."  
  
"I'll see you at work tomorrow."  
  
"That you will," Lena said, shutting the door behind her.  
  
Kara stood in her dining room in shock. She briefly wonder if she had broke from reality for a moment and glimpsed heaven. Lena -- all warmth, and give, and want. Inviting her to her house. Because she wanted time. Lena gulped, finally taking her hair down, letting it fall around her shoulders. It was everything she had wanted since she had first set eyes on her new boss.  
  
With the way her thoughts were racing, she didn't know how she would stand the anticipation. She wanted so badly to speed through the present until she was there. With Lena. Possibly in her bed -- _hopefully_ in her bed. Kara blushed at the thought, but found it stuck in her head for the rest of the night. Lena's pale body, naked, and waiting for her. But it was more than that too -- because in her mind, she laid her head against Lena's breast and fell asleep to the echo of her heartbeat like other people do the waves of the ocean.


End file.
